Essay Online

Writing information products (eBooks) is one of the most popular ways of starting an online business.

Why? Because the subject range is unlimited as is the angle or perspective you can bring to the subject. Plus, it costs nothing except your time to create it.

But it is not always trouble-free. How do you get started and how do you manage if you have never written a book before?

First, and most important - write about something you know. This allows you to keep the book flowing, give credibility and shows your readers you have some insight on the subject - and hence something to offer they may not have heard before.

Next, the hardest part of writing is - the first sentence. When you look at the whole project, it seems like an impossible task. You have to break it down into manageable tasks.

I like to use analogies; so think of climbing a mountain. You are standing at the foot of it and looking up at its summit vanishing into the clouds. How can you possibly scale such an immense and dangerous mountain?

There is only one way to climb a mountain - Step by Step.

Now think of writing your ebook in the same light. You must create it step by step, and one day, you will take that last step and find yourself standing on the summit with your head in the clouds. And that day will come much sooner if you keep momentum and enthusiasm.

The first thing you have to do, as if you actually were a mountain climber, is to get organized. Instead of climbing gear, however, you must organize your thoughts. There are some steps you should take before you begin. Once you’ve gone through the following list, you will be ready to actually begin writing your ebook.

First, figure out your eBook’s working title. It’s not clear from your post if you have done this or not but it is vital. It gives you a focal point.

Jot down a few different titles, and eventually, you’ll find that one that will grow on you. Would it make YOU read it?

As I said, titles help you to focus your writing on your topic; they guide you in anticipating and answering your reader’s queries. Many non-fiction books also have subtitles. Aim for clarity in your titles, but cleverness always helps to sell books.

For example, Remedies for Insomnia: Twenty Different Ways to Count Sheep. Or: Get off that Couch: Fifteen Exercise Plans to Whip You into Shape.

Next, write out a thesis statement. Your thesis is a sentence or two stating exactly what problem you are addressing and how your book will solve that problem. All chapters spring forth from your thesis statement. Once you’ve got your thesis statement fine-tuned, you’ve built your foundation. From that foundation, your book will grow, chapter by chapter.

Your thesis will keep you focused while you write your ebook. Remember: all chapters must support your thesis statement. If they don’t, they don’t belong in your book. For example, your thesis statement could read: We’ve all experienced insomnia at times in our lives, but there are twenty proven techniques and methods to give you back a good night’s sleep.

But if this is what you say, you must give twenty proven techniques else you lose credibility with your readers.

Once you have your thesis, before you start to write, make sure there is a good reason to write your book. Ask yourself some questions:

* Does your book present useful information and is that information currently relevant?

* Will your book positively affect the lives of your readers?

* Is your book dynamic and will it keep the reader’s attention?

* Does you book answer questions that are meaningful and significant?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you can feel confident about the potential of your ebook.

Now, write out chapter headings. You might not end up using chapters but it will help break the task down into manageable stages that you can tackle one-by-one. Breaking the job into smaller tasks, or chapters, will make it easier.

Remember - like that mountain do it one step at a time.

Another important step is to figure out who your target audience is. It is this group of people you will be writing to, and this group will dictate many elements of your book, such as style, tone, diction, and even length. Figure out the age range of your readers, their general gender, what they are most interested in, and even the socio-economic group they primarily come from. Are they people who read fashion magazines or book reviews? Do they write letters in longhand or spend hours every day online. The more you can pin down your target audience, the easier it will be to write your book for them.

Next, make a list of the reasons you are writing your ebook. Do you want to promote your business? Do you want to bring quality traffic to your website? Do you want to enhance your reputation?

Then write down your goals in terms of publishing. Do you want to sell it as a product on your website, or do you want to offer it as a free gift for filling out a survey or for ordering a product? Do you want to use the chapters to create an e-course, or use your ebook to attract affiliates around the world? The more you know upfront, the easier the actual writing will be.

Now, you seem to be specifically stuck at getting started. Here you need to think about you and your audience. What made YOU write the book and what do you want THEM to get out of it. You need to hook them early on and the best way to do this is to make them feel that you can answer their problems. After all, why did they buy the book? Make them feel they made the right decision and that you know what you are talking about.

Decide on the format of your chapters. In non-fiction, keep the format from chapter to chapter fairly consistent. Perhaps you plan to use an introduction to your chapter topic, and then divide it into four subhead topics. Or you may plan to divide it into five parts, each one beginning with a relevant anecdote.

Taking all the above into consideration, you could have your eBook finished in no time at all and ready to promote via your website. You could be well on the way to an internet best-seller.

Hearing of the massive layoffs in the local car factories erodes a bit the certainties of future and furthers the perception that things aren’t quite the same anymore. So much for the lessons of my youth that once spoke of a surety of workable lifetimes plus a pension fades as the corporate cut away for the leanness of times. Gone are those workplaces that guarantee a place for generations. One is forced to consider what may fall into place for awhile since no longer can one plan for fifty years. Now it’s a time for improvising since changes can occur quite often in one’s life instead of that once good place to settle. One could think one might get too old for adjustments but now survival demands newness no matter where one is at for the easy chair is no longer assured.

One could point a finger since it is an ignorant habit nowadays and say it’s all the union’s fault. Too much greed and too much benefit make the American worker obsolete in the global village of huts with no mortgages and paths walked not driven. Like an expensive habit that one would be better off not partaking of, the workers are the first to be cut. Nothing considered than just a matter of survival. Hopes are for the older ones having houses that are paid and cars that will last a few more years, because it’s time to work at Wal-Mart for six bucks an hour. Medical care can maybe be put on the state and that’s a hole for another year. The younger will adapt and try to survive, law of the species; nothing unusual. It’s too late to take ten bucks an hour instead of twenty; the cars are no longer sold.

Then again one could flip a single finger in the air and say it’s all mismanagement. Too much greed and too much bonuses made the estates that lined the lakes. Way too lopsided allotments for the upper class took away the cushion for hard times. There are those that will have to be cut but only the juniors, the rest are tenure, entwined within the company until bankruptcy. Most likely are taken care of, medical provided, well paid; just a company function. Now it’s time to cut the excesses and indulgencies and get real, scramble together and figure out what went wrong since the cars are no longer being sold.

Not that the cars aren’t sharp or classy, all shine and high tech, the ultimate in current know how of gadgetry and devices, the appeal is in the showroom. Vehicles built for power and grace, style and substance. All for the fleeting glance of prestige and recognition, nothing more than a symbol to attain and maintain. The profits were good and the benefits were great, the American way of life. So one could be fair and say that that it was the greed of many getting what they could from the company to live the best that they could. Yet the real culprit is the American way of life. It is the philosophy of America: better, bigger, and wait until next year. Cars were not built to last but to show. Look at my car and my house. Like the demands and expectations of a youth, or the tantrum of a child wanting attention, America is still young. The reality of a long life requires readjustments. Settle down and dig in. The future is always there for the practicalities of balance for longevity. Changes have to be made to become mature, a matter of common sense over charm. After all it’s only survival with a little grace to get by. America can no longer act like ugly Americans; as if we’re the only ones that matter.

I just quit my last paying writing gig…and you should too!

I just quit my last paying writing gig. Why? Because I make more money giving my writing away. Yes, that’s right. I make more money giving my writing away than I did selling my articles and columns. In fact I’m making more money writing part-time for free than I did in any of my full-time paid writing jobs and that includes advances and royalties from the publication of three novels. I have been writing professionally for two decades and I never thought I’d make more by writing for free but I am.

But that’s not even the best part — and I know you experienced writers will understand why this is better than money — I can write whatever I want. I pick my topic and my slant. If I want to be funny or irreverent then I can be funny or irreverent. If I want to melancholy or maudlin then I can be melancholy or maudlin. It just doesn’t matter because I’m writing to suit myself! I am my own boss and my own editor — and I’m making money off my writing.

How? I write for the internet. I have been doing so since 1999 and earning money during the entire time. I have written freelance and under contract for a number of internet publications and ventures as well as publishing my own work.

At first I considered my personal internet writing just something to satisfy my creative urge as I transitioned from full-time writing to full-time teaching, but then I noticed something curious — I was making money.

Today, after a lot of work and study I have discovered the right mix that works well for me — and I decided it just doesn’t pay to keep the writing contract any more. The time I used to satisfy the contract can be far more enjoyably and profitably spent writing on the internet.

What internet venues am I using?

~ Ezines and Newsletters

~ Blogs and RSS feeds

~ Web Sites

~ Articles

How do I make money with these efforts?

~ Selling advertising space in my ezines

~ Selling text links on my web sites and blogs

~ Posting pay-per-click ads on my web sites and blogs

~ Promoting affiliate programs on my web sites and blogs as well as in my ezines and newsletters

It really is not a difficult or complicated business model and one any competent writer, or anyone with the ability to string a decent sentence together, could replicate or modify to suit their purpose. I am a writer not a business person, but I know this is working for me and that it could work for you, too.

Now go out there and give your writing away!

I rarely suffer from what writer’s complain about the most and that is: writer’s block. Oh, sure, if I must write on a subject that I am not familiar with, then a certain amount of trepidation and the occasional blankness will set in. Still, if I accept a project I do so believing that I know enough about the topic to produce a compelling piece. Writing isn’t difficult for most accomplished writers, but you must get started. Here are some things that help get me going:

If I am stuck, I write some sort of outline. Okay, maybe not a formal outline but something containing a topic sentence; 2, 3, or 4 main points; followed by a conclusion. As you can read there are three parts to any article: an introduction, the body, and a conclusion. Sometimes certain parts of the article I have more to write about than others. For example, I may have my main points for the body, but I don’t have the introductory part down just yet. No matter, I keep working on my outline until I get something solid.

Once I have all three pieces together, I start to write. Okay, I start to “type” as almost all of my writings are created from scratch via Microsoft Word. There was a time when I had to write on legal sized lined paper and then move it over to a word processor. No more. Today, I rarely “write” anything as I have gotten so accustomed to my laptop computer. Thanks, Dell!

When I am done writing, I check my work to see if it makes sense. Sometimes nothing I write is all that sensible, so I delete what I write and start over again. This is a rare occurrence, but it does happen.

After I come up with a reasonable draft, I scour it to check for misspellings, grammar usage, prose, etc. Many times I have the “bones” of the article, but it lacks “meat” or substance. In these particular cases I “flesh out” the article which usually involves refining sentence structure, clarifying a thought, swapping out words, or inserting or deleting entire sentences or paragraphs.

If I feel reasonably certain about what I wrote, I will do a final run through it to make sure it sits well with me. Occasionally, I put an article to the side and go do something else or I “sleep on it” and take a fresh look at the article the next day.

So, if you are having difficulty writing, simply get started. At least if you start your writing assignment you will have less to do later and you will no longer feel as if your undone article is some sort of albatross around your neck.

Now get started.

From a copywriter’s point of view, it would be great if clients had a crystal ball that they could use to see which copywriter best suits their project. There are different types of writing and first-hand experience proves that only a handful of people really know there’s a difference. To digress for a moment, we’ve even come across clients who think that web designers are supposed to write the copy for their web pages. Most don’t. It makes sense. Web designers design. Web developers develop or write code, html or php, and build the structure of your site. So… that leaves you with your web content. Who writes your copy, and how do you publish web content that is going to attract web traffic and then persuade your web visitors to buy?

It seems so obvious, but the fact of the matter is, it isn’t. A few years ago, I fellow I met said to me, “What does anyone need a copywriter for?” It’s true. Copywriters were invisible, a behind-the-scene professional. Ad agencies used to be one of the only places you could find copywriters working, or at least working steadily. Look at Hollywood. For years and years, writers were not even recognized. Now, writers are not only recognized, but celebs go the extra mile to praise the writer associated with their project. This change in attitude toward screenwriters — along with the Internet — puts the spotlight on the value writers bring to a project.

When it comes to the Internet, I am happy to report that a professional copywriter is in high demand. The Internet is all about copy. Whether for web pages, email marketing, pay-per-click advertising, banner ads or autoresponders, the words you publish make or break the entire investment. Big companies with inhouse marketing departments and agencies know when and why to call on the copy writer. But, here’s the cause that no one talks about driving small business people to the professional writer. Everyone and anyone sees the words on your website. The world knows if the words on your home page are junk! How embarrassing is that.

With all this, there still comes the novice client who doesn’t have a clue what the value of a good writer is. So from a copywriter’s point of view, I have some tips on when and how to hire a copywriter.

A. When to hire a professional copywriter or scriptwriter

1) When you are in business

2) When you can’t write and might be embarrassed publishing poorly composed text

3) When you don’t have anyone working in your company that is a professional writer

4) When you expect a response

5) When you publish text on the Internet

B. How to hire a professional copywriter or scriptwriter

1) The first step is to hire the right writer for the project. If you want a writer to work on a software manual, look for a technical writer. If you want a news release, find a writer who specializes in public relations. If you want to sell, engage the services of an advertising copywriter or a commercial scriptwriter. By the way, the top two writers in business and industry are the direct mail writer and the scriptwriter.

A writer who is a jack-of-all types of writings is a writer who probably isn’t an expert in the type of writing you’re looking for. After all, even the profession of copywriting includes less than capable writers. Rely on that old adage, if you can write anything, you are good at nothing.

Look for a copywriter who concentrates on one objective and because of that, the writing skills are honed to perfection. Sales copywriting does include several formats, such as direct response advertising, direct mail, mail order, web site pages, email marketing, video scriptwriting - all formats intended to sell - and that’s the domain of the sales copywriter — also known as an advertising copywriter or business writer or just writer.

Advertising copywriters generally don’t accept writing assignments for manuals, directories, books, news releases or short stories. Advertising copywriters write to sell!

2) Review writing samples, but keep in mind that copy is sometimes subjective. What’s good for one may not suit another, but the project was still a huge success. Copywriting samples are not the end all for deciding who is a good writer. They serve to prove that the writer is a professional writer with several projects completed. The goal is to check that the writer has actually done work on the type of format you need. For example, a writer with a portfolio full of short stories is probably a good writer, but may not have the mindset or skills to write a direct mail letter.

3) Calling references is probably not going to bear much fruit either. I’ve made a few calls myself and have never heard one bad word. Actually, I can’t think of one writer who would name a reference unless they weren’t absolutely sure the referral would say glowing things about the writer and the work. But you can look over the company name. When a writer has a Fortune 100 company in their referral list, you’ve hit the jackpot unless writing fees are too high. And that brings me to the topic fees.

4) The thing about fees is that with copywriting like any other service, you get what you pay for. Low fees generally mean inexperience. Top writers are in demand and don’t need to work for $15 an hour. If you want quality copy writing, higher fees are the price. But, that said, consider that in the ‘high fee’ category, there is generally a range. Top copywriter fees may vary from $30 - $120 per hour. The quality of writing may be the same, but the difference might be an independent writer with no overhead, as opposed to a writer who works for an ad agency with hefty overhead. Weigh all factors when considering your investment in an advertising copywriter.

5) Finally, learn about the writer. I don’t mean pry into their personal life. Find out who they’ve done work for. Review a client list. Ask about previous employment if the writer is independent. Where did the writer get the experience.

When you find a copywriter that suits your needs, treat your writer like a valued part of your team. I’m adding this because I have experienced a few demanding clients who exceeded good will. Who hasn’t? Your copywriter is a top salesperson, and should be treated with respect. Provide detailed feedback. Promptly. Pay on time. What you get in return is the best outcome possible.

You must be prepared to work always without applause. - Ernest Hemingway

Much of the wisdom available from established authors may be surprising in it’s honesty and straightforward nature. The reason this is likely true is the authors in question have had enough success that there is no need to candy coat the truths they have discovered in their experience. This is the final article in this series.

On Learning the Art of Writing

I learned to write by listening to people talk. I still feel that the best of my writing comes from having heard rather than having read. - Gayl Jones

You have to protect your writing time. You have to protect it to the death. - William Goldman

By writing much, one learns to write well. - Robert Southey

To produce a mighty work, you must choose a mighty theme. - Herman Melville

No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader. - Robert Frost

A writer’s job is to imagine everything so personally that the fiction is as vivid as memories. - John Irving

Plot springs from character…. I’ve always sort of believed that these people inside me — these characters — know who they are and what they’re about and what happens, and they need me to help get it down on paper because they don’t type. - Anne Lamott

In your writing, be strong, defiant, forbearing. Have a point to make and write to it. Dare to say what you want most to say, and say it as plainly as you can. Whether or not you write well, write bravely. - Bill Stout

Whenever you write, whatever you write, never make the mistake of assuming the audience is any less intelligent than you are. - Rod Serling

If the stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. - Barry Lopez

Write about it by day, and dream about it by night. - E. B. White

Any writer overwhelmingly honest about pleasing himself is almost sure to please others. - Marianne Moore

On Humor

When in doubt have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand. - Raymond Chandler

The humorous story is told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything funny about it. - Mark Twain

On Naming Your Work

A good title should be like a good metaphor. It should intrigue without being too baffling or too obvious. - Walker Percy

The title to a work of writing is like a house’s front porch…. It should invite you to come on in. - Angela Giles Klocke

I hope you catch the sense that successful authors draw from the real stuff of life, keep things simple and well told. If you look closely, these authors keep a sense of humor about them and remain personable. These are admirable lessons to consider in your writing journey.

Before you should decide whether or not taking part in a writing workshop is right for you and your writing you should first understand just what a writing workshop is.

A workshop is an educational format where an expert shares information on a focused topic over a short period of time. Some workshops are intended to be simply informative while others involve more hands-on activities. Today there are many options for enjoying a workshop: you can attend workshops in person, view them on television or tape, or participate in an online workshop.

So now that you know what a workshop is you can see how this format can readily be adapted for writers. Writing workshops can cover the basics of writing, writing challenges, topics related to publication and careers in writing, or specific research subjects. Some of these programs are featured as part of larger events, such as conferences, while some groups or individuals offer them as one-time events. Some organizations, institutes and educational programs offer workshops to their students or members while others open those workshops to the community at large.

Why would a writer want to attend a workshop? What benefit could it be?

Join the writing community. One of the strongest benefits you can receive from attending such a gathering is getting to know other writers. Writing is a solitary profession and can be very lonely. Enjoying the company of other writers and talking about writing with people who really understand your joys and worries can be wonderfully energizing to you personally as well as your writing. You can also make contacts that may lead to support and growth of your writing or perhaps even professional advancement. You never know when the friend you make today might be in a position to recommend you to an editor or publisher down the road.

Learn something new. No matter what level your writing career there are always lessons to be learned from other writers. Sometimes there are research strategies and shortcuts or perhaps it is a method for dealing with writer’s block. You can learn market news and contacts as well as important information about reviewing contracts. Workshops are generally geared toward a specific genre or market niche and offer a wealth of specialized information depending on whether you write about crime or food.

Improve your craft. Generating new work or revising existing pieces is often a large part of attending a workshop. Sometimes you must bring something with you, create a project as part of the workshop or are inspired by the gathering itself. Sometimes talking with others or listening to the presenters causes you to suddenly rethink a stalled project or inspires a new one. Whatever the impetus there is definitely an increase in production after attending a workshop and that is the surest way to improve your word craft.

If you have not taken part in a writing workshop in the past then perhaps you might consider doing so in the near future so you can join the writing community, learn something new, and improve your craft.

Are you a freelance writer or interested in freelance writing? Then you should consider starting a blog to publish your writing. While it is difficult for many freelance writers to think about publishing their writing for free, consider the three different methods you can utilize to profit from with a blog.

First, you can simply focus primarily on self publishing all your work to a blog (or blogs if you write in more than one area). The numerous pages of fresh, original content will be slurped up by the search engines and drive quality, targeted traffic to your blog. You can profit from this traffic by selling advertising, using third-party advertising services such as pay-per-click or pay-per-lead programs, or promote affiliate programs and products. If you want to focus simply on your writing and your audience then pay-per-click or affiliate programs is probably the easiest method to choose.

You can publish your writing in your own free ezine, newsletter, ebook, or some other informational product and use the blog to promote those products. You can still derive some profit from advertising or affiliate programs if you choose as well, but the additional informational products give you even more venues to profit.

You can publish your own ezine, newsletter, ebook, or some other informational product that is only available for purchase and use your free blog to capture leads and promote those products. Again, you still have the option to earn from advertising and affiliate programs on your blog in addition to your earnings from sales.

You can make a very nice living from giving your writing away but if you do not want to do that then you can choose to only give away a small portion and only share the balance of your work with paying customers. Either way you will have complete power and control over your own published work and you will reap all the financial rewards from your own hard work and talent.

Freelance writers should consider self publishing with a blog using one of these three profit models.

As a professional copywriter, I’m often asked by aspiring copywriters what they need to do to succeed. Most of their questions center around writing ability. They want to know how to find out if they have the talent to succeed, or if there’s a “test” they can take that will tell them if they’re a good enough writer to actually get paid to write.

Well, for better or for worse, writing ability has very little to do with a writer’s ultimate success. (Business owners who want to write to promote their business, take note — I’m talking to you as well.)

If there was a test out there (and there isn’t by the way) but if there was, I would say the test would deal only with your attitude about writing and leave ability flat out of it.

Yes, you heard me right. Attitude over ability. That’s the key to success.

I know. It’s hard to hear. As writers, we want so badly to be told our work is good, that it has merit, that we truly are talented. I’m not sure why so many of us need that exterior validation — perhaps because writing is such a solitary, inner activity that when we do finally come up for air, we want to make sure we haven’t been wasting our time.

But to be honest, it IS possible to become a professional writer, to be paid for your work, and not be terribly talented. (In fact, I’ll do you one better. It’s even possible to force overworked, exhausted college students in English Lit classes to read your books and not be all that talented. Case in point: Thomas Hardy.)

When I look at professional writers (and I include authors in this category) the common denominator I see isn’t writing talent. It isn’t even a desire to write — I know, it’s kind of strange, but there’s more than a few of those folks out there.

It’s a desire to succeed as a writer.

If you’re determined to succeed as a writer, and have the will and the mindset to do it, then you’ll succeed at it. Period.

Now, that doesn’t mean you can skip working hard, honing your craft or, yes, actually putting pen to paper or hands to keyboard and churning out words. You have to be determined enough to do what it takes. To make the necessary sacrifices. To actually do the work. And, to know setbacks will happen and obstacles will appear and learn to take them in stride.

Not everyone is going to like what you’ve written. I don’t care how good you are. You’re going to get some, if not a truckload, of criticism along the way. But, again, that’s part of your attitude. You have to be able to take the rejection, the criticism, or the just plain mean comments in stride. You have to pick yourself up and keep going. Because you know in your heart you’re on the right path and you won’t allow those nasty people derail you.

And that, my friends, is what it takes to be a writer.

Creativity Exercise — Get the right attitude

People have written books about changing your attitude, so I’m not going to pretend this exercise is the end-all, be-all. But it’s a start.

Twice a day, place your hand on your chest and say out loud “I choose to become a successful writer. I have the attitude of a successful writer.” This is a declaration, not an affirmation. According to T. Harv Eker, author of “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind,” declarations are more powerful than affirmations. Declarations simply declare your intent rather than state your goal is already happening (which is an affirmation.) When you state your goal as if it’s already happening, a little voice inside you usually pipes up and says “that’s a load of crap” thus making it harder to change your attitude. But if you simply state the intention, then no little voice chimes in to tell you otherwise.

And, when you say it out loud, you’re letting your subconscious know, the universe know, and the cells in your body know (because they can feel the energy) what you’re intending to do. Placing a hand on your chest allows you to feel that energy. So change happens faster. If you also look in the mirror, you’ll accelerate that change even more.

Above all, remember this: Believe and it WILL happen.

Developing an individual writing process is a key part of becoming a real writer. If you want to learn and grow as a writer then you must work to develop a unique writing process. If you want to be a more productive writer and for your work to improve then you must develop a unique writing process.

While most writing processes contain the same basic elements, each individual writing process is as individual as the writer it serves. Each writing process contains these steps: brainstorming, organizing, writing, revising and editing. Some people condense the essentials into only three parts: brainstorming and organization as one, writing, and then revising and editing as the final step. While you may well end up with some variation of a writing process that is close to the latter I think when you are first individualizing your writing process you should start with the five distinct steps.

How do you begin to develop your own unique writing process? You must write — a lot — and you must experiment with different methods and different styles and different variations within each of the five steps. Even if you find the “idea” of one experiment to be uncomfortable or unwieldy then you must still give it a try because that might be the key to unlocking your own successful style.

This is especially important when it comes to the first step in the process — generating ideas. Experiment with all the variations of brainstorming you hear about from free writing, clustering, questioning, listing and journaling as well as the many other options out there.

After you have spent time brainstorming it is important to begin putting those ideas into some semblance of organization. Sometimes you will need to do this on paper and sometimes it can be done in your head. You may be able to do some rough organization with arrows, numbers or highlighting or perhaps you might need to use note cards or a computer program. Again, experimentation is key to find the method that works best for you.

The actual writing portion of your writing process should be the easiest and least painful. Remember, you will take care of revision and editing later on so you only need to worry about filling your required allotment of pages. Do not slow down your creative process by self editing as you write. Just let it flow and sort it out later.

Some writers combine revision and editing but I like to separate these steps. In my mind, revision is the heavy lifting where you continue to write and rewrite as well as refine and reorganize. Most of my writing involves multiple drafts in the revision stage.

I personally consider editing to deal with those fine, picky details such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation. It might to some extent involve word choice but usually those details are dealt with during revision. Do not forget to read your work out loud at this point to catch awkward sentence and paragraph structure.

And that is how you can develop your own personal writing process. Do not forget: Developing an individual writing process is key to your development and success as a writer.